Author Spotlight - Nancy Kay talks about the importance of "settings" in her novel

Previously, I touched on the characters in Deadly Reflection. Today I'm going to explore the setting. Writers in general tend to fall in love with describing scenes within their stories. The trick is to interweave these descriptions so the reader is plopped right down into the setting and doesn't know how they got there.

Where I live, a trip to the store can be a journey through picturesque vineyards or cresting a ridge to find unbelievable sunsets bouncing off an expanse of lake that stretches as far as the eye can see. We're told to write what we know. The same holds true for writing what you see.

In my mind, true romance is all about the setting, the ambiance. I want readers to mentally sample the earthy taste of a great red wine combined with melt in your mouth chocolate. Because the high derived when a handsome man and a gorgeous woman experience their first intimate encounter before a blazing fire, all while partaking of that wine and chocolate, is a setting guaranteed to make a reader feel the burn. And I don't mean from the crackling fire!

Coming in from a frosty day and encountering the mouth-watering scent of goodies baking says something about the character that made those to die for cookies. It sets the stage, tells a tale, and often triggers long-forgotten memories pertinent to the story. I think we call this introducing back-story, but in such a way the emotion is not a written description. The emotions, the pieces that make up the current story are experienced.

Set the stage within your minds eye, and then skillfully expose the beauty to your readers. The old adage 'show don't tell' at its finest!

Author Spotlight -Nancy Kay talks about her passion for romantic suspense

On a recent blog I discovered how to narrow down exactly what type of 'Romantic Suspense' I write, something I've been searching for since completing my first manuscript. One of the first things a new writer must do is to identify their target audience.

Hmmm...target audience. Mulling over this rather misleading term brought several scenarios to mind. Ingredients for Romantic Suspense include creating a strong hero, introducing an intelligent heroine, and then adding a situation and some nefarious character destined to interject roadblocks which make their road to true romance fraught with danger.

Each time I sought to describe my particular recipe for romantic suspense, I stumbled. Because, much as I like reading cutting edge suspense, my stories didn't quite fit the gritty, edgy mold. A friend and fellow author, C J Lyons, suggested my work may fit more in the 'hearth and home' sub-genre of romantic suspense. Her idea made sense, and shortly thereafter I read a blog by Stephanie Giancola at National Romance Novel Examiner entitled "Hearth and Home vs Dark and Scary". CJ's suggestion was right on 'Target'.

The 'hearth and home' aspect fit well with my small town settings and traditional family ties. While at the same time, my theory 'sometimes bad things happen in small towns' depicted within my stories, add the suspense and mystery.

I write romantic suspense because I love romance, I love a good mystery fraught with suspense, and I'm fortunate to have a built in consultant and sounding board with my husband - a 28 year veteran of the Pennsylvania State Police.

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Nancy's latest release is: Deadly Reflection, a contemporary romantic suspense.

BLURB: When detective Nick McGraw encounters Cassi Burke, his ingrained sense of duty collides with unstoppable desire, because the stunning Miss Burke is gripping a bloody knife and standing over a dead body.

BUY LINK:http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-180/Nancy-Kay-Deadly-Reflections/Detail.bok

Author Spotlight -Q&A with Author Nancy Kay

STEPH: I don't know much about 'Deadly Reflection'. Can you tell me a little more about it?

NANCY: In 'Deadly Reflection' Nick McGraw, a detective in Philadelphia, Pa., takes a much needed vacation and returns to Pine Bluffs, his hometown in Western Pennsylvania. Nick should be happy and satisfied, but for a variety of reasons, the successful detective's life lacks.....something. Pine Bluffs holds nothing but good memories so, Nick concludes, why not go back and try to recapture some of that happiness?

Cassi Burke is grasping at straws, struggling to deal with the tragic death of her adoptive parents when she travels to Pine Bluffs to meet a woman claiming to be a living blood relative from Cassi's past. Pine Bluffs is a small community, thus Cassi and Nick are certain to meet. Unfortunately, when that meeting takes place Cassi is clutching a knife and kneeling over a dead man. Bizarre circumstances involving her over exuberant, overgrown, pup, Rufus, landed her in this incriminating position and much to Nick's dismay; the first woman he's really attracted to in a very long time could be a murder suspect. To complicate matters further, Cassi's brush with the law alerts someone else on the unknown family tree, and this individual is no loving aunt.

STEPH: How long did it take to write?

NANCY: Initially, about a year and a half. There were several rounds of rewrite, rearrange, and revise.

STEPH: Did you do a lot of research for the novel?

NANCY: I wouldn't say I researched as much as I gathered and inserted information into the story. An example would be the fictional town of Pine Bluffs is next door to a bog. I used the location after reading an article on how glaciers formed a bog in western Pennsylvania not far from Erie. The location fit in with my Great Lakes story theme. Newspaper articles about escalating crime in Philadelphia were thrown into the mix, and, of course, my husband and built in advisor is a veteran of the Marine Corps and twenty-eight years on the Pennsylvania State Police.


STEPH: Where did the inspiration for the story come from?

NANCY: The location, the sometimes tough life of a police officer, and personal knowledge of a business where my heroine excelled, all played a part in putting the story together.

STEPH: If your story was going to be made into a movie, who would you cast as the leads?

NANCY: That's a tough question. Most of the actors and actresses I admire are probably to mature to play the leading roles.

STEPH: What is the theme of the novel?

NANCY: The strength, influence, and importance of family.

STEPH: What do you want readers to take away from the novel when they finish it?

NANCY: I want my readers satisfied with the outcome. Every time I read my last chapter I just plain feel good. You know, kind of like when after all the drama and strife Cinderella's Prince came for her.

STEPH: Do you have an ebook reader?
Yes. If so, which one?

NANCY: I have a Kindle.

STEPH: How important is setting to the story?

NANCY: The setting is the heart of the story. I live where my story took place, so I feel every scene.

STEPH: What's your writing space like?

NANCY: My office used to be my daughter's bedroom. Now it holds two desks, my computer and a large work table meant for laying out paperwork and organizing. Most of the time it's not so organized! But I have a very large window overlooking our back yard. I can take breaks and watch my cats play or, in winter, watch the snow blanket everything.